The pasuk says in this week’s parasha, Ki Tisa , הודיעני נא את דרכיך ואדעך למען אמצא חן בעיניך – Moshe Rabbenu asked Hashem to show him His ways so that he could know Him better and thereby find favor in His eyes. The goal of every eved Hashem is to find favor in Hashem’s eyes and the more we know about Hashem the better we will be able to do His will and thus find more favor in His eyes. The Gemara says, one of the questions Moshe Rabbenu was asking Hashem here is why do we sometimes find a tzaddik suffering and a rasha prospering? The Chovot HaLevavot in the Shaar HaBitachon writes regarding this question, there is no one answer that fits all. Every single tzaddik who ever suffered had a different reason why he needed that suffering. And every rasha who ever prospered had a different reason why he needed to prosper. And therefore, we can never know why any particular person is living the life that he is living. However, there are endless reasons why Hashem would act in this way and the Chovot HaLevavot in perek 3 gives us some of them. One thing he says is eye opening and can definitely give people chizuk to overcome this very difficult part of life. He writes, one of the reasons Hashem would give a rasha tranquility is to test everyone else, to see who is really a faithful servant to Him. If someone sees the rasha prospering and says, “That’s not fair,” or, “Good people always finish last, so why bother?” Then he is not a ne’eman . But if someone would say instead, “I know Hashem is the fairest Judge and everyone will get exactly what’s coming to them.” And despite the challenge, he rises above it and continues clinging to his service of Hashem, then he will be called a ne’eman and will be rewarded so greatly because of it. And even though, currently, Hashem makes it look like things are not fair, in actuality, they are as fair as can be. The rasha may have done some good deeds that Hashem is rewarding now and the consequences for the bad will come later. And a tzaddik may have done things that require atonement that Hashem is giving him now so he can be ready for the ultimate rewards in the Next World. This is one of the most difficult questions in life to deal with, but as always, Hashem is acting in a way that will give us the greatest opportunity to rise to the highest levels and earn more rewards. When a righteous individual prays day and night for something that he needs so badly, but does not receive what he is asking for, and then he sees someone else who never prays receiving that very same request he has been asking for, it is a major test in his emunah. When a person is honest in business, constantly battling to do what is right to honor Hashem yet he struggles with parnasa , and then he sees someone else who is dishonest making more money than he knows what to do with, that is a big test in emunah. When a girl dresses and acts in the ways of modesty and goes through the dating process the way Hashem wants, and still hasn’t found her zivug , yet others who completely ignore the ways of modesty get married with ease, that is a very big test. On this we say וצדיק באמונתו יחיה . To be faithful despite these enormous tests is a very high madrega . These people are the ones who are going to bring Mashiach . They will be rewarded for every moment that they were able to have emunah. Everything is happening the exact way it is supposed to. We only gain by doing right and although it might not appear that way, one day Hashem will show us how fair and righteous He was always acting. For now, it is up to us to remain ne’eman . Shabbat Shalom.